Succeeding Through The Storm

National Signing Day is an annual exercise in imagery. High school student-athletes choose their schools and smile for cameras in ceremonies fit for the front page of their local sports section. They sign their name on letters bound for their college destinations, and coaches eagerly watch those names roll in. Social media churns out last minute rumors, but the exercise is a celebration for the next stage of the best football players in the nation.

None of that traditional fanfare existed on Wednesday. The 2020 Early Signing Period kicked off, and names still rolled in. Those sentimental emotions just weren't anywhere seen or experienced in real time, another rite robbed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public display of affection muted, but it still very much existed. Zoom meetings and static pictures replaced press conference, and that same feeling, that identical, overarching renewal of hope for a college football program's future, resonated in the early hours after sunrise at schools throughout the country.

"None of these kids really visited (campus)," Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley said, "and we didn't have a lot of our 2021 recruits on campus to visit. That's one of our selling points because this campus is so beautiful and one of the best cities in the world. What our staff was able to do without these kids visiting or shaking their hands to show them around campus and the facilities, I appreciate it. We have really good recruiters on this staff because they're good people who love football and know how to coach football."

Hafley's first official National Signing Day occurred on the one year anniversary of his unveiling as BC's new head coach. He signed his first class two days later, but it was more ceremonial because he didn't recruit any of his player's 2020 recruits. He was still in the midst of completing his Ohio State coordinator duties, and he hadn't hit the road to speak with anyone interested in becoming an Eagle.

Ohio State's playoff loss to Clemson enabled Hafley's start in Chestnut Hill, but COVID-19's outbreak resulted in an NCAA freeze regarding on-campus recruiting. The coaches and staff ultimately shifted their responsibilities to a remote setting, and they attacked perceived areas of need while additionally installing an entire new regime at every level of the program.

It resulted in one of BC's highest-rated recruiting classes on paper despite both a restrictive atmosphere and a shortened timeline. The two dozen players who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday ranked 34th on the Rivals website, 38th by ESPN and 39th by 247 Sports. It was the best ranking in school history on ESPN, the best at 247 since 2011 and the best at Rivals since 2008.

"I think it all goes back to what we were looking for," Hafley said. "I couldn't tell you, by looking at the list, how many stars these kids have. I don't care. I respect the websites, and the people are awesome, who work hard and do a great job, but I don't go on the sites or let it enter my mind. We could have picked up a guy that was really highly ranked (as recently as) last week, and it would have boosted us, but would it have fit us and our culture?

"Those are important things that we can't stray from," Hafley continued. "We can't take a kid just to take a kid. We have to ask if he can come in and help us win football games. Our staff has evaluated more than anything else because that's the most important part."

That evaluation process underwent an overhaul in the face of the pandemic. Restrictions denied recruits the opportunity to visit campuses while likewise preventing coaches from traveling to living rooms and high schools. Virtual meetings decimated the concept of regional recruiting, and BC's procedures fluidly shifted to incorporate the entire football recruiting office.

Position coaches became the first point of contact in a hierarchy designed to incorporate the recruit into the Boston College fold. They recommended meetings with coordinators before tertiary meetings with Hafley, and academic and nutrition specialists entered after the coaching staff determined the player and program would mutually benefit from one another.

"Usually you send guys out by region and go positionally," Hafley explained. "(Defensive backs coach) Aazaar (Abdul-Rahim) is in the (Greater DC, Maryland, Virginia region), but he recruits all the DBs. Coach (Frank) Cignetti recruits all the quarterbacks because I want the guy coaching the kid to stand on the table for the kid, if they like him and if the (kid) can process. That's something we take very seriously.

"We couldn't regionally Zoom," Hafley laughed, "so we Zoomed more by position and side of the ball. This year, Aazaar dealt with more DBs and Sean (Duggan) dealt more with linebackers. It wasn't like we were getting on a flight to go anywhere."

Everything occurred in that virtual setting, but BC still pulled in one of its best recruiting classes. The coaches and staff still sold a university internationally recognized as a top-flight academic institution, and recruits toured facilities even though they were limited to the 10 inches of an electronic screen. They saw, they sold, they bought, and, most importantly, everyone found a new way to get in.

"We set up all of these meetings (in stages) to meet with the position coach, then the coordinator, then the head coach, then the nutritionist and strength coaches," Hafley said. "(Director of Player Personnel) Joe Sullivan might have been walking around campus with an iPad in the rain multiple times just so people could see what campus looked like. The time and effort and creativity to have a fairly successful class in our first year - these kids have been recruited by other staffs for two to three years, and this time last year, I was waiting to coach another game for another school. We feel really strongly about this class, and that's a credit to everyone (at BC). I'm very appreciative for the staff."

Boston College Athletics

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